1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a gas or liquid agent filter, in an exemplary embodiment having a cartridge replaceable media. The housing having a standard width for such filters so as to be a replacement for existing standard filters and future filters or as a pre-filter. The housing contains a movement member, a motor, a power source, a controller and a filter media cartridge. The exemplary product strives to be both directly replaceable with a filter and disposable with minimum modification to existing equipment and minimum environmental impact. The replacement filter being further located within a flow channel in the filter unit wherein the agents being filtered is passed within the flow channel and passed through the filter media. The replacement filter having a compacted or stored portion of the filter media that is removed as an at least one filter media stack out to replace the initial and subsequent sections of filter media being exposed by the invention to agent within the filter unit. This stack or set of stacks being replaceable in and of themselves as a prefolded, pre pleated, filter media cartridge system. Additional aspects of the invention include remote monitoring and communication with the filtration unit, enabling monitoring and alert for replacement of the Filter. Additionally, the filtration unit may be enabled to monitor and communicate flow qualities, including for instance contaminants, and to take further actions in response to alerts sent through a network.
2. Background of the Invention
An important component in almost all filtration units in general is a filtration mechanism for removal of particulates and contaminants from the flow of the agent. In Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC), for instance, this is preferably before or sometimes after or even both before and after coming into contact with heat exchanging elements. The removal of the contaminants helps prevent reduction in heat transfer associated with accumulation of the contaminants on the heat exchanger elements. Additionally, the removal of these contaminants also improves the quality of the air circulated by the HVAC air handling system. Similarly, in computers, filtration of air used for cooling the electronic elements requires filtration before coming into contact with the electronic elements. Similarly, in pools, the water in the pools requires filtration before being returned to the pool by a circulating system. In some pool systems further filtration is required before chlorination of the pool water. In a host of other industrial and commercial applications, effective media filtration is necessary. The timing for replacing or renewing these filtration mechanisms is therefore important in both improving efficiency and reducing wear and tear in the filtration units in most filtration applications.
In most systems a filter is used through which the media is passed. Dirty filter media result in lower flow rates of the agent in the system which translates to lower efficiency in filtration, especially in HVAC systems where it equates to less heat exchange in the HVAC equipment. The equipment must run longer to accomplish the intended goals, for example contaminant filtration and/or temperature control. In HVAC for instance, air conditioning equipment may freeze up due to such inefficiencies. Additionally, the motors and other components must run longer and harder resulting in increased wear on the entire system, reducing its useful life. Thus, the filtration systems require constant attention and maintenance.
In commercial and industrial applications, it is often the case that the air handling functions are monitored by a control center and maintained based on performance measurements. For example, when utilizing multiple refrigeration units in chemical processing the timing and performance of the cooling units is often integral to the manufacturing process, these systems are therefore monitored and maintained based on sensor reports, typically from within the system itself or based on hours of operation. Upon determination by the controller or by a set schedule, the filters on such systems are replaced.
Similarly, in residential settings, many HVAC companies sell maintenance contracts to residential clients, typically annual or bi-annual in nature, to address routine maintenance. Similarly pool companies regularly inspect and change water filters in chlorination systems and even in home residential water units in the case of hard water softeners for instance. However the removable, replaceable filters that are typically in these units require more frequent replacement by these clients.
Filters for most residential and commercial air filtration and air handling equipment are typically removable, replaceable, rigid, framed units. Rigid framed filters can be time consuming to replace or clean and often require frequent replacement, typically monthly in the case of residential applications. This also requires an added amount of attention by an industrial or commercial maintenance staff or residential unit owner. For instance, in a commercial setting the restaurant owner or similar commercial customer must provide an even greater amount of attention to cleaning and/or replacing these types of filters. The filters often go unchanged as users forget to change the filter regularly. This shortfall has been well known and several attempts have been made in the past to provide long lasting filters. Several attempts have been made to provide a reel system, see for example US Patent Application No. 2006/0102006, Japanese Patent No. JP06233945, German Patent No. DE19654844 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,168,646, 4,470,833, 6,152,998, 4,221,576.
Though these have extended lengths of service, in each instance, the resulting device requires modification of the HVAC unit or uses less efficient media shapes and sizes. This makes these existing devices impractical for easy use, installation and maintenance by a typical end user. For example, as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,152,998, 6,632,269, 6,491,735, 6,402,822, and 6,743,282 and the commercially available OPTIMAIR system, often the reels are located outside the unit and are located in a reel storage area that does not easily fit within the confines of the existing filter system and is not easily scalable. This also prevents replacement of the existing filter with these types of units as the footprints are completely different and these systems are not replacements for the existing filter or an effective filter or pre-filter with pleated, replaceable media.
Other commercial applications use sheets that are stretched between rolls on either side of an air duct, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,269 to Najm, U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,576 to Phillips Jr., or U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,998 to Taylor. In each embodiment, significant modifications to the HVAC or cooling system would need to be made to install the devices or they use a non-standard footprint. The systems do not provide retrofitting the filter structure to existing HVAC equipment and moreover, they require significant installation steps as outlined above with respect to residential units that operate in a similar manner.
Additional attempts have been made to address the issue in a commercial HVAC application, for instance U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,290 to Sheehan. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,290, a stack of filters is cycled through the device. This system requires a large amount of modification to incorporate into existing devices, as with other existing designs. Additionally, the stacks of stored filters require a significant amount of space in or around the HVAC unit. Thus, to fit existing systems requires either significant additional modifications or additional space to operate and provide extended use filter systems. Moreover, no economical method of providing a self-renewing or extended use filter within the standard footprint of the existing filter housings has been provided.
An exemplary replacement filter would be one that fits into existing filter footprints as defined by the OEM. A uniform and industry standard width is provided in almost all residential and most commercial filters. Similarly, industrial applications, though often purpose built, have specific filter footprints after completion and replacement of these custom sizes is also contemplated. The filters shown in all of the above noted patents and publications require extensive modifications to fit in the place of the existing filters in these air handler and HVAC systems and lack the specified media stack. In addition, those systems do not provide for a media cartridge that provides for efficient removal and optionally sealing the exposed media stack. The provision of a compacted, pleated, folded media stack as a cartridge provides for the most efficient shape for most applications. In addition the existing media solutions cannot be used to provide side sealing in conjunction with the filter nor do the cartridges fully isolate and seal once spent. Further the installation of the systems would require additional wiring and would likely require professional installation. Additionally, little or no communications are provided at the source of filtration, therefore, these systems cannot effectively communicate the status of the air being handled or further communicate with machinery or other devices.
To date, no commercially successful system has been produced for use in conventional filtration systems without modification or extending beyond the footprint provided for the replaceable filter. An exemplary replacement filter having a footprint that fits in the standard width in an existing system that also has an extended use, while being more environmentally friendly and remaining sealed preventing re-exposure or re-admission of contaminants to the air and the system is needed. Moreover, no economical exemplary method of providing a self-renewing or extended use filter within the standard footprint of the existing filter housings and providing a compacted, pleated, folded filter media that can be expanded and then compacted again has been provided. Additionally, no filter to date with such extended use and standard footprints exists that can both store and communicate air quality through a sensor to a communications network and, based on that communication, prompt an alert to a user or control center.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus for providing for a self-renewing or extended use filter for filtration applications that has a standard footprint that fits within existing commercial and residential apparatus, provides extended useful life to the filter, requires little or not modification to install in existing equipment, facilitates and enhances communication of the air quality, communicates with other elements of the filter or a network, provides for replaceable media through a filter media stack cartridge, and has a minimal impact on the environment when discarded. Further, though the exemplary embodiments are shown for replacement air handler filters, in addition to air handlers and HVAC systems, the instant invention is adaptable to other filtration applications, some non-limiting examples being spray booths, computers, room and building air purification, gaming machines, clean rooms, electronics manufacturing, water filtration, pool and spa filtration, chemical and other liquid and gas filtration, and other applications utilizing filtration.